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1/13/10

Welcome to the silly season in the NBA as the trade deadline is just over a month away. You likely have read the silly rumour started by Peter Vecsey. In his column he threw out a trade that could never happen prior to the deadline. Andrew Bynum for Chris Bosh. Which anyone who can operate a trade checker can confirm this fact. The article itself even points out this deal could not go down till July 1st. But the title just suggests the Lakers would be interested in making a deal for Bosh. This is not exactly headline news that the Lakers are interested in Bosh. If you all recall Phil Jackson was fined 25,000 dollars for comments he made about Bosh prior to him signing his current contract extension. So not sure what exactly Vecsey was breaking exactly other than the fact Lakers would consider moving Bynum. However based on his contract it is not going to happen prior to the deadline.

Bryan Colangelo has been pretty clear that he has no desire to deal his star player in Bosh. He has been willing to roll the dice and if he can't resign him than he feels confident he can work out a sign and trade deal. That does not mean his phone is not ringing with teams taking an interest in Bosh. However to get the true value for Bosh you would never get it at the deadline. The reason is pretty simple because the team getting Bosh would have no guarantee that they keep Bosh. So if you are expecting a Bosh deal by the deadline don't hold your breath. That being said the Raptors sit in a position where it is unclear if they will be active at the deadline. Colangelo in general tends to like to make moves a that deadline. Even if it some minor tweak he tends to like to do something. But what exactly he would do is not really obvious. Fans were bringing up the name of Jose Calderon but that seems like a long shot. Lakers could have more interest in Jose than they would Bosh at this point. Pau Gasol would endorse a deal that saw his team mate from Spain coming to L.A. Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmer are not exactly on anybodies top 20 point guard list. However I would not hold my breath on that one as well.

It seems hard to imagine Andrea Bargnani being moved as well. He is finally starting to prove his worth. 17 rebounds is a number that I never thought he would reach. Andrea was the lone Raptors that played fairly well from opening buzzer to the closing buzzer vs the Pacers. You never say never in terms of trades but it seems unlikely he would move especially with Bosh's future in doubt. If Bosh were to go Bargnani would likely move over to the 4 spot if the Raptors did not bring back a power forward. So if that is the case what is left to move for the Raptors that would get you back anything that would make a major impact. There is Hedo Turkoglu but given his contract and struggles this season it seems unlikely that he is going anywhere. It also would take Colangelo making an admission that his biggest off-season move for the second season in a row was a bust. Last season he gave up on Jermaine O'Neal and moved him for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I can not imaging him admitting failure so soon on Hedo.

That leaves you with pretty much small pieces to deal that would not net you a star or even a rising star in return. It seems pretty unlikely we see a major move prior to the deadline for my money. I still feel that the Raptors as they are constructed will be a playoff team. So that probably makes a major trade less likely as MLSE has not had a team in any sport make the playoffs in a longtime. The hockey team is not looking like they will be making the playoffs anytime soon.

In a sense the Raptors will have a built in trade when Reggie Evans returns to the line-up. Evans has not played a game the entire season and in a sense when he returns it will be like acquiring a player. This is not to say that Reggie will be huge impact when he returns that will totally change the outlook for this team.

While some people love this time of the year filled with rumours and nonsense. I have never been a big fan of it. If you are hoping for a big deal for the Raptors at the deadline I think you will be left disappointed. Trading Bosh at the deadline would make little sense. Chris Bosh has it in his best interest to work with the Raptors at the end of the season for a sign and trade if they can not agree on a way to bring him back to the Raptors. Chris Bosh is not dumb and is not going to leave 30 million dollars on the table. The organization has always been good to Bosh and it really makes no sense that he would leave that kind of money on the table.

The Raptors best game plan in terms of everything including trying to keep Bosh is to get better with what they have. They have shown signs of talent and ability but they have also shown the ability to blow leads and be inconsistent. There is no trade out there that I can see the Raptors making that would have a huge impact in a positive way on their fate. Colangelo has surprised us all in the past but he really does not have a lot of chips he can play that would make a ton of sense. That won't stop a month worth of rumours and talk but it would not shock me in the least that the Raptors we see now are pretty much the same we do at the end of February.

Want to close today with an offer of congratulations to Ryan and the crew at Hoops Addict for becoming part of The Score.com Sports Federation that the Dino Nation Blog has been a part of from day 1. It is nice to see Ryan part of the fold. He has been very kind and helpful to me when I have been down covering Raptor games this year. I thank him for that and welcome him to our little family with The Score.

2 comments:

When you say this would be the 2nd season in a row where Bryan Colangelo's biggest off-season aquisition was a bust, I'd say it's the 3rd. Kapono, J.O., now Turkoglu. It looks like Bryan has lost the nack. I think a move should be made with management soon before he blunders again.

You are not wring in terms of Kapono but I don't think he would class as a "Major" acquisition in my opinion or in that of many others but the point is well made. Colangelo has not been hitting home runs with his bigger moves it has been the smaller ones that have done the most. Jack and Amir Johnson both have been nice along with Sonny Weems.

I do not think the Raptors have any desire to make a move on Colangelo and he will be at the controls for what will be the most important move in what happens with Chris Bosh. However that plays out will greatly impact on Bryan's future and and franchise as well.

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